How to Overcome 5 Common Onboarding Problems
The onboarding experience is the first look new hires get at what working for your organization is truly like. New hires feel the excitement of meeting the new team, getting settled in, and starting in their role, so it is essential that businesses do what they can to provide an onboarding experience that keeps the employee feeling excited and engaged.
Recent studies have shown that 88% of organizations do a poor job of onboarding their new hires, leading to gaps in productivity and a disengaged workforce. Finding ways to overcome hurdles and create an enjoyable experience will help you keep your top talent and create a resilient workforce. Below, we’ve highlighted five onboarding issues organizations face and ways to overcome them.
1. New Hire Turnover Is High
All organizations strive to lower their turnover rate and increase the amount of A Players they retain. When your organization sees large numbers of new hires leaving shortly after completing your onboarding process, your onboarding method might need some tweaking. Providing employees with a great onboarding experience can increase your new hire retention rate by upwards of 82%.
If you want to lower new hire turnover, you need to invest in an onboarding process that sets your employees up for success and creates an enjoyable experience for all.
In our modern workplace, traditional onboarding efforts just don’t cut it anymore. Your onboarding strategy needs to be comprehensive and support the kind of workforce you have, whether in person or remote. With tools like paperless onboarding and digital platforms, you can create an onboarding experience that is user-friendly and easily accessible.
Bonus Material: Download The Essential Guide to Onboarding in Today’s Modern Workplace
2. Information Is Lacking for New Hires
One of the easiest ways to start your onboarding process off on the right foot is to ensure all parties can access the most updated and necessary information. When new hires don’t have the essential details or forms needed to start the process, the onboarding experience becomes prolonged.
If you want your new hires to be informed and equipped for success, you need to make sure your process is organized and prepared.
This means providing your new hires with all necessary information to maintain compliance. Nowadays, many onboarding systems allow for forms to be completed digitally, streamlining the process and allowing managers to start onboarding their new hires before the first day. HR leaders can spend less time printing and filing paperwork and can instead spend time ensuring your new hire is being nurtured in their onboarding experience.
3. You Need A Centralized Database
Everyone knows that clear communication is key to success, and staying organized can be the difference between happy employees and new hires that are already disengaged. While many organizations have improved their data collection processes, having a centralized and organized location to store all this information is integral. With the right onboarding methods, all employee information should be stored in the same location, offering peace of mind and ease of access for all.
If you want an organized employee database, start by searching for integrated solutions.
The information you collect about new hires should be easily integrated into your performance management system, payroll functions, and HRIS platforms. Having all of your data in one place allows for heightened transparency and accountability. ClearCompany’s talent management system is easily integrated into your overarching strategy, providing an easy-to-use and enjoyable experience for all.
4. New Hires Are Unsure of Onboarding Goals
Without clear guidelines of what the onboarding process looks like or goals for new hires to accomplish, your new employees might feel frustrated. A strong onboarding strategy needs to provide clear expectations and directives in order to coach your new hires into full productivity.
If you want your new hires to accomplish goals during onboarding, you need to communicate your expectations clearly.
Before the first day, reach out to your new hire and let them know what to expect. When possible, provide any necessary forms or documents before day one so that they are ready to hit the ground running when they start work. Set time aside to introduce your latest hire to the team and sit down with them and discuss what the onboarding process looks like. What should your new hire be able to accomplish after the first week? How about after the first month? Both you and your new hire need to know what is expected to measure the success of your onboarding efforts.
5. Your Onboarding Process Isn’t Tied to Performance Goals
If your organization is not actively measuring the performance of your new hires, it can be challenging to gauge whether they are successful in their role. Your onboarding process should be tied to performance goals to provide insight into employee success.
If you want to tie your performance and training goals to your onboarding, you need to invest in a comprehensive and customizable platform.
We touched on the need for an integrated onboarding system earlier, but the importance of this cannot be overstated. To set you and your employees up for success, you need to actively track their performance, measure their progress, and offer feedback. With a customizable and collaborative platform, you can easily track the metrics that matter most to your company and tweak goals to reflect the current state.
As you analyze your current onboarding process, identify opportunities to embrace a more modernized and digital approach. In today’s marketplace, your company needs to find tools that work alongside one another and provide you the depth of information you need to make strategic decisions. With tools like ClearCompany’s Onboarding Software, organizations can consolidate their data, integrate their platforms, and create a seamless employee experience that is enjoyable for all. For more information on how our digital onboarding platform creates a positive new hire experience, reach out to one of our experts or sign up for your free demo now.
This article was originally posted on ClearCompany’s blog.
